Runner Beans

[Colin Miles]

Enorma was voted one of the best/most realiable Runner Bean for the 20th century and I have been growing it since the late 60's. But I like to try other varieties and as it is such a staple summer crop I usually grow 2 varieties in case one doesn't like the conditions. This year I am growing Firestorm and Enorma and there is an enormous difference in the way that they have grown. Enorma are racing away, almost halfway up the posts, whilst Firestorm have barely connected with the posts and look rather pale and sickly in comparison. Will be interesting to see how they eventually turn out.

[Primrose]

That's interesting. I assume you sowed them both in the same date for comparison purposes. I grow both climbing French beans and runner beans for the same reason and unusually my French beans this year are well ahead of my Enorma runner beans.

[Colin Miles]

Yes - identical conditions. Both sown and raised in one roottrainer and planted out at the same time. Mind you, the Enorma seed was last years!

[oldherbaceous]

Morning Colin, Enorma really do take a lot of beating, and they seem to getting going when other varieties are struggling with the weather conditions. I am growing Firestorm too, and they just cannot compete with Enorma.

[Geoff]

I'm growing 4 varieties. The standard red flowered Red Flame that I have grown for several years and three of the modern French crosses; the red flowered Firestorm and white Stardust and Moonlight.
The Red Flame are significantly in the lead for climbing, the Stardust and Moonlight are neck and neck about 6" behind them with the Stardust having slightly better foliage, the Firestorm are a little bit behind them. We only grew Red Flame and Moonlight last year and they started in the same way but the Moonlight just cropped first and lower down and in the end probably produced more but we didn't weigh them.
I have a theory that the stems on the 100% Runners are slightly rougher than the French crosses so get a better grip and therefore climb quicker.

[Colin Miles]

Hi Geoff - I invariably tie my Runners to get them started. And I have alternate string and poles and they much prefer the string as it is much thinner. This would often mean 2 going up the same string unless I persuaded them otherwise.

[Diane]

I feel so mean when I have to untangle a couple of runner beans and make them climb separately. It seems so unfriendly

[Johnboy]

My runner beans have completely failed this year due to a plague of millipedes there are only 8 survived from 160 planted.
The thing is I would use Naphthalene to get rid of them in days gone by but now there is no treatment available.
Any one got any good ideas cos I'm stumped!
JB.

[Ricard with an H]

I'm trying to get some french-climbing beans going for a late harvest in the ground that grew my garlic, I had intended to grow them up pea-and-bean netting draped over a frame like goal-posts. It's the way I grow sweet peas, any reason why no-one is using pea and bean netting ?

Another problem to share, usually I start my beans off by putting the beans in water for a few hours then keeping them damp in the airing cupboard until they sprout. This either proves or otherwise that I have a go-er, it's worked for two types of bush beans and broad beans but these French climbers from Mr Fothergill (Called Sultana) won't start in this way so I've now sown some in pots in the way described on the packet.

Is it unusual that I couldn't sprout these beans or is it my method that is unusual ?

I'm keen to get a late crop of beans this year so I'm going to use the strong contenders illustrated in this thread as a back-up sowing, I already prepared the ground by digging a wide trench, putting four inches of cow-poo down then covering with six inches of proven soil.

Enorma then ?

[Geoff]

Perhaps somebody will correct me but I have never heard of using Runner Beans for a late crop. I'd stick to French, if you were planning to support them anyway perhaps good old climbing Cobra.

[Ricard with an H]

Sultana are a French climbing bean of the round variety. On the packet sowing graph they show a late sowing for June and harvest in October. My experience with beans so far has only been with French bush type because I don't particularly enjoy runner beans though thats because I only ever bought them from shops and when a relative gave me some from his crop they were also gnarly.

[Johnboy]

Hi Richard,
It is to be remembered that French Climbing Beans are self pollinating so a few grown in your polytunnel may give you an even later crop.
Just a thought.
JB.

[Ricard with an H]

I don't have a polytunnel JB, presumably it's because they self pollinate that a late crop is possible. I'll do some more research on this particular variety.

[Johnboy]

Sorry Richard my memory is not what it was and I now think it was a greenhouse you were investing in some time back.
You could still grow then in a greenhouse and train them to grow where you want them to without affecting anything else growing there.
JB.

[Ricard with an H]

I haven't even got a greenhouse.

What we have is a perfect site for a greenhouse and I did share the possibilities with you-all but I couldn't afford what I wanted to build so I manage without but I do have a large cold-frame for bringing seedling on earlier in the year. I got it right this year without loosing to the classic inexperienced growers mistakes creating damping-off and leggy-ness. I sprouted under Velux windows in my shed then moved the seedling straight into the cold-frame.

Regarding the Sultana french climbing bean, Ok, I'm risking a poor crop by sowing and growing in the back-end of the season though to be honest the back-end of the year can be more reliable here than the front end.

I have some more ideas for dealing with wind for next year, this year I spent enough money and enough hard work just creating my envorimesh-covered cabbage-patch. Well, it's a cabbage strip to be more accurate. Six metres by one metre and a massive success, the cabbages are bursting to get out already.

I had a pilot-scheme for growing climbing beans but I grew sweet peas instead, both years the sweet peas have been a resounding success so next year I could crop two different types of climbing bean.

One idea for sheltering beans against wind is for the beans to climb up a wall of pea-and-bean netting backed by enviromesh to slow the wind down on the westerly side.

I'm thinking all the time and the battle is stopping me getting bored.